Apparatus for smoking and curing meat products.



B. SUHWENGER.

APPARATUS FOR SMOKING AND CURING MEAT PRODUCTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 1914.

1,133,888. Patented Mar. 30,1915.

, city, county, and State of v smolders substantially ploying the gas jet flame,

UNITED STATES PATENT or-Frcn BEN scHwEnGEn, on NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AIROZBLAST or rmw Yonx, N. Y., A CORPORATION on N W YORK.

CORPORATION,

AiPABAIUS FOR SMOKING AND CURING MEAT PRODUCTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Application filed January 19, 1914. Serial No. 812,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, BEN, citizen of the United States,

New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Smoking and Curing Meat Products, of which the followlng is a full and clear specification.

My invention relates to smoking and ouring meat products, such as sausage, ham, fish and the like, and in general, the invention has for its object to provide a smoking and curing process and apparatus in which the products are uniformly treated at minimum SCHWENGER, a

,expense and in which the treatment can be easily regulated and controlled so as to gain the desired effect.

It has heretofore been proposed to generate the smoke by throwing sawdust into a wood fire which was kept burning. According to my such as sawdust "or the like, is employed but the fire proper is in the form of a gas jet flame, or its equivalent, which is used indirectly to produce the smoke by igniting the sawdust or the like. It will thus be seen that the process and apparatus involve the maintenance of what I may term primary and secondary combustion, the primary combustion taking place in the gas jet flame and the secondary combustion taking place in the control of the gas sawdust or the like under jet flame. To properly apply the jet flame reverberatory hood against which the jet flame impinges and fromwhich it is deflected against the sawdust, which thus and smokes, producing the curing smoke for the treatment of the meat products. The defl not only distributes the heat, but it protects the meat products from burning and facilitatesthe uniform distribution'of the smoke throughout the entire space of the smoke house, so that all products being treated are or the like, for primary combustion in this way, I am able to readily adjust and control the temperature and the production of smoke within the smoke house by the provision of suitable valves in the air and gassupply pipes. At' 'thesame tlmethe air supply apparatu's'lends itself to the intrpduction of air independresiding in theinvention combustible material,

cool, dense smoke which ector or reverberatory hood uniformly afi'ected. By emplpe 5 connects with air ently of the gas supply, for drying the skins or exterior of the meat products when desired, to assist the smoking and curing operation.

A further important feature of my invention resides in according to which I am able to maintain the smoke production from the ignited sawdust or the like after the supply of fuel for the primary combustion has become discontinued. In accordance with this feature of my invention, I'first admit drying air at ordinary temperature from the blower, then supply gas and air to produce primary combustion for heating the smoke chamber, (if desired) and igniting the sawdust or the like, and after the secondary combustion has been thus established, discontinued and air from the blower is directed against the ignited sawdust which thereby continues to smolder and produce a is especially advantageous for certain products such as ham, for example. i

It will beapparent from the general fea tures of my invention to which attention has been directed, that an air blower or its equivalent is an important element in the apparatus and method contemplated by my invention.

Theprinciples of my invention'may be embodied in various specific forms, but for the purpose of illustration I have shown inthe accompanying drawing an apparatus in which the principles of the invention are present.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a front elethe supply of gas is vation of the smoke house with the door thrown open; Fig. 2 is a side elevation .of the same; and Fig. 3 is a detail cross section of the gas jet pipe.

In'said drawing, 1 represents the to be treated.

3 is a blower for supplying air by way of pipe 4, and 5 represents the gas pipe. Gas i pipe fat the union valve or other control member 7 is provided in gas pipe 5 and a-similar member 8 may be provided a ir'pipe 4. A control valve 9 is provided in the common pipe 10, which passes through the side wall of the housing and conducts the mixture of gas general i .housing or casing of the smoke house in the I upper portion of which are provided shelves or racks 2 for supporting the meat products and air to the gas jet pipe 11, from which the gas flame issues in jets, as shown in Fig. 1.

- .16.\of thei'air pipe may .suitabie-outlets ias indicatedat =16H-fonthe Disposed above the gas jet pipe 11 is.a reverberatory hood or deflector 12, which may be constructed of metal or suitable heat resisting material and may be supported-by feet 13 upon the floor of thehousin *1. Sawdust, as represented at 14,-isplace the lower portion of the housing 1 in position tooberignited by the flame from-gas jet pipe 11,- as it is reflected from-the -hood 12. As shown in Fig; 3 the gas jet pipe ll-is provided with lateral openings li -and -a series of downwardly directed openings 11. While my invention does not necessarily require the downwardly directed openings 11 these will-facilitate the ignition of the sawdust as-they cause-the gas flameto'play directlythereonu The smoke and curing gases produced by;-the ignited sawdust rise and fill-ithchousing 1.- The-deflector 12 serves to'spread and distribute the smoke and gases v "formly throughout the smoke chambers- For the purpose of supplying air for drying-theproducts I may provide a branch pipe i leading from the air: pipeL-to the lWall-of-the housing 1 andextending,-as indieated'at 16, within the smoke chamberpanallel tor the gas jet pipe 11;. This extension be-prpvided-with dischargeof thedrying air within the smoke chamber. A hand valve 17 or thelike, may be-provided in airpipe 15 for controlling or regulating: the supply of. drying air:

- The outlet for the smoke and fumes is indicated at'18 as being in-the amen chimney. The usual thermometer 19.may also be provided as, for example, upon the door 20.

, process is as follows: hung u on s The operation of the apparatus and the The meat products are the racks 2 within the. smoke chamber and sawdust 14 is placed in the bottom of the chamber. The gas and air are admitted to pipe 10 whereupon the gas flame may be ignited.

The gas flame playing directly and indirectly from the hood 12 upon the sawdust 14: causes the sawdust to smolder and generate'the curing smoke and gases, which are uniformly distributed throughout the smoke chamber by the hood or deflector 12. The rapidityof combustion may be readily controlled by suitable ad- 7, 8 and 9 to suit the justment of the valves requirements of the particular case. Dryin'g air may be introduced independently of the operation of the gas flame, by way of pipes 15, underthe control of valve 17. It will thus be-seen', that the invention provides for the maintenance of a primary combustion which is readily controllable and that this primary combustion is employed indirectly to eflect the smoking by igniting the jet pipe sawdust-in which the. secondary or smoke generating combustion is maintained. The

deflector'l2.providesrforwthe distribution'of the flame from-theprimary combustion and at the same time lends itself to the uniform distribution" of smoke and gases throughout the entire smoke chamber. The deflector becomes-heated during the. operation and further maintaineds When the products being trea'tedhave been heated sufficiently',

the-supply of gas to-the pipe 11' may be discontinuedra-nd the air keep the ignited sawdustv smoldering and thus produce-a-cooh dense-smoket Or- I may with-.the-same apparatus dispense almost entirely-with heating the products. In this latter case, for example, in treating ham or bacon, l-mayfirst introdueedrying air by pipe 15', 16 and then maintain primarycombustion under hood 12 o'nly-lon'gi enough to ignite the sawdust, whereu on the, gasis shutoff and the air supply allowed to issue alone to maintain slow combustion or=, s mo1dering of the sawdust and thereby .producethe cool, dense smoke'desired..-.- v A It-willbe'apparent that as to many features of my invention, -.it-isnot essential that the production of smoke take place in thechamber which contains the products to be treated, provided communication is-main tained whereby the smoke produced has access to the products being treated.

'Ir-claima f 1. apparatus of the character described, the combination with a housing, having means forsupporting the meat products in the upper portion thereof, and adapted ;to conta n smoke producing material in the lower portion thereof; of a gas supply means, a compressed air supply means, a gas said -heusing and connected-with said gas from the blower will rom the blower and air supply means and a hood disposed 7 above said gas jet. pipe for deflecting the flame against the smoke producing material and distributing the smoke thus produced.

- 2. In apparatus of the character described,

the combination with a housing having -means for supporting the meat products in the upper. portion thereof, and adapted to contain smoke producing material in the lower portion thereof; of a gas supply means, a compressed air supply means, a gas jet pipe disposed in the lower portion of;

said housing and connected with said gas and air supply means, an independent air supply pipe branching from said compressed El-l1 supply means and extending within said and ajhood disposed above said gas housing,

for deflecting the flame therefrom against the smoke producing material and distributing the smoke thereby produced.

3. In apparatus of the character described,

the combination 7 with a housing having means for supporting the meat products, 7

and adapted to contain smoke producing material; of a gas supply means, a com pressed air supply means, a gas et pipe disposed in said housing and connected with said gas and air supply means, and a hood disposedabove said gas jet pipe for deflecting the flame toward the smoke producing material.

4. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a housing having means for supporting the meat products and adapted to contain smoke producing mate rial; of a gas supply means, a compressed air supply means, a gas jet pipe in said .housing connected ,-with said gas and air supply means, a hood disposed above said gas jet for deflecting the flame therefrom toward the, smoke producing material, and

an independent air supply pipe branching from said compressed air supply means and extending above said hood.

5. Apparatus for smoking and cliring meat products comprising in combination a burner, means for supplying gas thereto, means for supplying compressed air to said burner, and a deflector for distributing the flame from said burner.

6. Apparatus for smoking and curing meat products comprising in combination a smoke chamber in which the meat products are exposed for treatment, a burner for igniting a smoke producing substance, means for supplying gas and air to said burner, and a deflector for directing the flame from said burner to the smoke producing substance.

7. In apparatus of the character described, the combination with a housing having means for supporting the meat products therein, a gas jet burner, means for supplying thereto gas for fuel, means for supplying compressed air to said gas jet burner, meansfor exposing a smoke producing material to the heat of said gas jet, and means for supplying and heating an additional quantity of air in excess of that required for combustion, to absorb moisture.

BEN SCHVVENGER. 

